We already knew it, but it’s nice to hear confirmation: the Brookhaven area is home to some very generous people.

The numbers from the Salvation Army’s December 2012 Kettle Campaign were recently released, and they show the Homeseekers Paradise was one of the most generous locations for the annual Christmas fund drive.

Salvation Army statistics show Brookhaven’s red kettles raised $35,455.54 during 26 days of bell ringing. With only one kettle location, Lincoln County’s fund-raising efforts compared quite well to McComb’s $45,600.01, which was taken in from four sites.

Like communities throughout the South, our citizens stand ready to dig into their pockets to help out a neighbor, whether it’s someone they know or not.

Appreciation goes out not only to those who dropped cash or change into the kettles, but also to those who manned the red buckets and rang the bells to help draw in contributions.

“Brookhaven has always been there for us supporting the mission of the Salvation Army …,” said the Army’s Capt. Rick Boone. “This is a special place, Brookhaven,” Boone added.

But we already knew that.